Nicaragua Releases Over 3,300 Endangered Baby Turtles into Pacific

Nicaragua has released 3,321 baby paslama turtles, an endangered species, into the Pacific Ocean from a wildlife refuge. The initiative took place at the 'Río Escalante Chacocente' refuge in the Carazo province, where the hatchlings were nurtured in nurseries before their release.

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Marena) stated that this release is part of the 'Together we conserve our sea turtles' campaign and aligns with efforts to protect marine fauna. This event follows the "second massive arribada" (mass nesting) recorded this year, a phenomenon where large numbers of turtles come ashore to lay eggs.

Since mid-May, Nicaragua has released a total of 443,208 sea turtles, including paslama, hawksbill, olive ridley, and green turtles, all of which are endangered. These turtles are released into the Pacific from various wildlife refuges across the country.

Nicaragua's coast is a vital nesting ground for five of the world's seven sea turtle species. While the commercialization of paslama eggs is prohibited due to the species' endangered status, reports indicate that some markets and vendors continue to circumvent this ban, posing an ongoing threat to conservation efforts.